The North Shore Generals beat the Rhode Island Wardogs, 7 – 6, Saturday night in another exciting defensive battle at Manning Field. 

The win improves the Generals record to 6 and 4, which earns them a second place regular season finish in the New England Football League’s AAA North division.  With the win, the Generals earn a first round bye in the upcoming playoffs.

The Generals defense was outstanding once again.  Led by DE Tony Johnson, DT Edward Owens-Finch, and DT Brandino Davis, the Generals held Rhode Island to just two field goals.  The trio was solid against the running game and had Rhode Island QB Kevin Simms running for his life all night.

The scoring began with a 32 yard field goal by Rhode Island kicker Adam Reis early in the second quarter. With 4 seconds left in the first half, Reis would connect on a second field goal from 35 yards out to move the Wardog’s lead to 6 -0.

The ensuing squib kick was recovered by the Generals’ Steven Simpson at the Generals’ 49 yard line with 0.6 seconds left in the helf..  With time left for one play, the Generals’ QB Kelvin rolled out of the pocket and hit WR Skooby Cobbs with a perfect touchdown strike.  K Klenis Haxhaij made the extra point, and the Generals had an improbable 7 – 6 lead at halftime.

That lead would hold up as the Generals smothering defense gave up nothing, while the offense was eating up the clock the entire second half with a running attack led by RB Chris Lane who rushed for over 100 yards.

The Generals will host the Boston Bandits on Saturday, October 10^th, at Manning Field, looking to advance to the division finals.

By Matt Buckingham

The North Shore Generals got their first ever win against the Boston Bandits on Saturday night beating them 17-14 at Manning Field in Lynn.  It was an exciting game that would be decided in the final minutes.

In the second play of the game, Generals QB Kelvin Amparo (Gloucester) threw a 40 yard pass to Dimitri Denis (Lynn) to put the Generals in the red zone.  The Generals finished off the series with a 6 yard touchdown pass to Jesse Fowler (Lynn).  The Bandits next series was stopped short by a fumble caused by Generals Tony Johnson and recovered by Eddie Owens-Finch (Lynn) putting the Generals in great field position. After a strong defensive stance by the Bandits, the Generals Klenis Haxhiaj (Beverly) managed to hit a 23 yard field goal extending their lead to 10-0.

In the third quarter, the Bandits JT Harold ran past countless defenders for a 62 yard touchdown to put the Bandits on the board.  The Bandits 2 point conversion attempt was good putting them within 2 points of the Generals with a score of 10-8.  In the next possession, the Generals fumbled and it was recovered by the Bandits.  The Generals would cause a turnover themselves on the next play with an interception by Lubens Figaro.  In the next series, the Generals were forced to punt and it was returned by the Bandits for a touchdown giving them the lead at 14-10. 

In the next play, the Bandits did an onside kick and recovered the ball.  But the Bandits ruined their chances of capitalizing on this big play by going three and out.  In the next series, the Generals Kelvin Amparo threw a short pass to running back Chris Lane who ran the ball 48 yards for a touchdown. This touchdown regained the lead for the Generals making the score 17-14.  In the final minutes of the game, the Bandits marched down the field putting themselves in the red zone.  The Generals Alex Watler ended the Bandits last chance to score with an interception on the 2 yard line with under a minute remaining in the game.

This win puts the Generals at 4-3 for the season and moves them into second place in the New England Football League’s AAA Northern Conference.  The Generals have a bye this week and will return to Lawrence to play the Northeast Natives on September 12^th.

By Matt Buckingham

After losing in overtime to the Lowell Nor’easter in their first meeting, the North Shore Generals were able to pull out the win in their second match up on Saturday night at Manning Field in Lynn. 

The Generals defense played well keeping the Nor’easter from getting on the board all night.  The Generals defense was led Chris George, Edward Owens-Finch, Tony Johnson, Andre Langley and Brandon Langley.

The Generals offense was led by Chris Lane who provided a strong running game for the evening.  Wide receiver Jesse Pearce came up with many big gains on the night as well as providing a few key blocks for the Generals offense.

It was in the final seconds of the game, when Kelvin Amparo dove into the end zone on a QB keep and won the game for the Generals with a final score of 6-0.

“We played team football tonight,” said Generals head Coach John Morant.  “The defense was great all night.  We didn’t give them anything. This division is a dogfight every week.”

The Generals will be at home again this Saturday night when they take on the Boston Bandits at Manning Field.

By Matt Buckingham

The North Shore Generals played their fourth game of the season against the Lowell Nor’easters at Cawley Stadium on Saturday night.  It was an exciting game that would end in overtime giving the Generals a 2-2 record for the season.

The game started out with the Generals ending their first series with a missed 25 yard field goal.  In their first possession, Nor’easters quarterback Tim Bushey connected with tight end Shane Bushey in the end zone for a 7 yard touchdown pass.  After going out on downs, the Generals intercepted a pass and got on the board with a 47 yard field goal by Klenis Haxhiaj (Beverly).  On the next kickoff, the Nor’easters returner Anthony Courtois ran the ball 90 yards for a touchdown putting the Nor’easters up 14-3.  The Generals answered with a touchdown of their own when Jesse Fowler (Lynn) returned the next kick for an 84 yard touchdown leaving the score 14-10 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Generals fumbled on their first series and the Nor’easters hit a field goal on their next possession.  In the fourth quarter, the Generals Chris Lane (Gloucester) ran the ball for a 23 yard touchdown tying the score at 17-17.  The Generals defensive lineman, Edward Owens-Finch (Lynn) blocked the Nor’easters 39 yard field goal attempt to end the fourth quarter.  In overtime, Nor’easters quarterback Tim Bushey connected with running back Joe Harris who ran it 48 yards for the winning touchdown and a final score of 23-17.

The Generals will travel to Smithfield, R.I. to play the Rhode Island Wardogs on Saturday night.

The North Shore Generals took on the Northeast Natives at Manning Field on Saturday night and won an exciting defensive battle, 10-9.

The win puts the Generals tied for the Northern Division lead at 2 wins and 1 loss.

The game was tight into the fourth quarter when two big defensive plays made the difference. A fumble recovery for a touchdown by Generals’ LB Therich Roc on a sack by DL Chris George put the Generals up 9-3 mid-way through the final quarter.  The extra point by Generals’ kicker Klenis Haxhaij pushed the Generals lead to 10-3.

The Natives, coached by former Patriots three-time Super Bowl champion fullback Patrick Pass, would not quit, however.  The Natives put together a drive on the ensuing possession with  RB Ian Kuck punching it in from the one yard line with 3:02 left in the game making the score 10-9.

It was then that Generals DL Edward Owens-Finch made the clutch play of the game by breaking through the Natives offensive line, blocking the extra point attempt and preserving the victory for the Generals.

Owens-Finch, George, Roc and DE Andre Langley played lights out for the Generals defense all night.

The Natives got on the scoreboard first with a 32 yard FG by kicker John Buckley in the first quarter.  The Generals answered with a 28 yard FG by Haxhaij in the second quarter.  The first half ended with the score 3 – 3.

The Generals travel to Lowell on Saturday night to take on the Lowell Nor’easter at Cawley Stadium.  Kickoff is at 7:45. 

You can get more information about the North Shore Generals at their website, www.north-shore-generals.com or on their Facebook page at North Shore Generals Football.

TheNorth Shore Generals got their AAA New England Football League season off to a great start Saturday night at Manning Field in Lynn with an exciting 32 - 27 victory over the Southern Maine Raging Bulls from Portland, ME.

For directions to Manning Field in Lynn click here.

CLICK HERE to see the Generals 2015 regullar season schedule.